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Single Click a triangle below to see the references CT Russell selected for the associated question. The study questions (with the references) are also included as an attached Adobe PDF file at the bottom of this page.

R3434 [col. 2 ¶2, 3]:It was with the full appreciation of the fact that the Church would need comfort rather than chiding and reproof that our Lord said, "If I go not away the Comforter [the holy Spirit] cannot come." The ransom must be paid, must be presented in the "Most Holy," to the heavenly Father, before his blessing could be bestowed. That blessing would yield the comfort of the begetting of the Spirit and the comfort of the exceeding great and precious promises to those who had accepted Jesus,--and to those who would believe on him through their word. True, our Lord spoke of the holy Spirit as reproving--but not as reproving the Church; he said, "He shall reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of a coming judgment." The nearest suggestion to reproof in respect to the holy Spirit's dealing with the Church is that given by the Apostle, when he says, "Grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." And again he says, "Quench not the Spirit."--Eph. 4:30; I Thess. 5:19.

The grand provision made for the comfort of the Lord's people clearly indicates a necessity for such comfort; nor is this necessity difficult to find. The Lord's people are beset on every hand with adverse conditions--the world, the flesh, the adversary--seeking to intimidate or discourage or entrap the new creature, so as to hinder its development in grace, knowledge and love, and ultimately to hinder it from the attainment of the perfection and glory to follow, which God has promised to the faithful only. What we need, in order to make us sons and daughters of consolation in the Church, is a larger measure of love and sympathy in our hearts. In proportion as sympathy and love come in, they will crowd out the spirit of strife and contention and judging and fault-finding; even as they crowded out at first the spirit of the flesh, --anger, malice, hatred, strife, vain-glory.

5. Is it important that we observe the spirit as well as the form of our Lord's command?

6. Why do the Lord’s ‘brethren’ need no ‘outward passwords, grips or badges’?

7. How is our love for God measured by our love for ‘the brethren’?

8. Can we fellowship all ‘the brethren’ alike?

9. Should we always expect to have our manifestations of brotherly kindness received in the same spirit?

10. How are the comfort and peace of the Church dependent upon the manifestation of this grace?

11. How should brotherly love exercise itself in seeking opportunities for service?

13. How should we ‘consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works’? Heb 10:24; F308 ¶1, 2; R3536 col. 2 ¶4

Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

F308 [¶1, 2]: What a loving and beautiful thought is here expressed! While others consider their fellows to fault-find or discourage, or selfishly to take advantage of their weaknesses, the New Creation is to do the reverse--to study carefully each other's dispositions with a view to avoiding the saying or doing of things which would unnecessarily wound, stir up anger, etc., but with a view to provoking them to love and good conduct. And why not? Is not the whole attitude of the world, the flesh and the devil provocative of envy, selfishness, jealousy, and full of evil enticement to sin, of thought, word and deed? Why, then, should not the New Creatures of the Christ body not only abstain from such provocations toward themselves and others, but engage in provoking or inciting in the reverse direction-- toward love and good works? Surely this, like every admonition and exhortation of God's Word, is reasonable as well as profitable.

R3536 [col. 2, ¶4]: "Let us consider one another," said the Apostle-- consider one another's weaknesses, consider one another's trials, consider one another's temptations, consider one another's efforts to war a good warfare against the world, the flesh and the Adversary--consider one another's troubles in the narrow way against opposition from within and without, and as we do so it will bring to our hearts sympathy, a sympathy which will take pleasure in pouring out the spikenard perfume, very costly, purest and best, upon all who are fellow-members of the one body.

14. How will brotherly love exercise itself in ‘laying down our lives for the brethren’?

15. How should we manifest brotherly kindness toward the weaker brethren?

16. How will brotherly love sympathize with the more demonstrative brethren?

17. How should brotherly kindness deal with the self-seeking ?

18. How will brotherly kindness deal with brethren who lack self- control?

19. How should brotherly kindness seek to avoid ‘busy- bodying’?

20. How should brotherly love control the tongue?

21. How should brotherly love treat a slanderous report against an elder or other brethren?F293 ¶1 to 294 ¶1, 2; R3035 col. 2 ¶3

F293 [¶1] through F294 [¶2]--Accusations Against Elders "Against an Elder receive not an accusation, except at The Apostle in this statement recognizes two principles. (1) That an Elder has already been recognized by the congregation as possessing a good and noble character, and as being specially earnest for the Truth, and devoted to God. (2) That such persons, by reason of their prominence in the Church, would be marked by the Adversary as special objects for his attacks--objects of envy, malice, hatred and strife on the part of some, even as our Lord forewarned--"Marvel not if the world hate you"; "ye know that it hated me before it hated you"; "If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household!" (Matt. 10:25; 1 Jno. 3:13; Jno. 15:18) The more faithful and capable the brother, the more nearly a copy of his Master, the more proper his choice as an Elder; and the more faithful the Elder, the more sure he will be to have as enemies--not Satan and his messengers only, but as many also as Satan can delude and mislead.

These reasons should guarantee an Elder against condemnation on the word of any one person, if otherwise his life appeared consistent. As for hearsay or rumor, they were not to be considered at all; because no true yokefellow, cognizant of the Lord's rule (Matt. 18:15), would circulate rumors or have confidence in the word of those who would thus disregard the Master's directions. To be heard at all, the accusers must profess to have been witnesses. And even if two or more witnesses made charges there would be no other way of hearing the case than that already defined. Any one person charging wrong the mouth of two or three witnesses."--1 Tim. 5:19, R.V. against the Elder, should, after personal conference failing, have taken with him two or three others who would thus become witnesses to the contumacy. Then the matter, still unamended, might be brought by Timothy or anyone before the Church, etc.

Indeed, this accusation before two or three witnesses, being the requirement as respects all of the members, leaves room for the supposition that the Apostle was merely claiming that an Elder should have every right and privilege guaranteed to any of the brethren. It may be that some were inclined to hold that since an Elder must be "well reported," not only in the Church, but out of it, an Elder should be arraigned upon the slightest charges, because of his influential position. But the Apostle's words settle it that an Elder's opportunities must equal those of others.

This matter of witnesses needs to be deeply engraved on the mind of every New Creature. What others claim to know and what they slanderously tell is not even to be heeded--not to be received. If two or three, following the Lord's directions, bring charges against anyone--not back-bitingly and slanderously but as instructed--before the Church, they are not even then to be believed; but then will be the proper time for the Church to hear the matter--hear both sides, in each other's presence; and then give a godly decision and admonition, so phrased as to help the wrongdoer back to righteousness and not to push him off into outer darkness.

R3035 [col. 2 ¶3]: But we close as we began, by urging that facts, evil deeds or evil doctrines, and not evil surmisings, knowledge, and not rumors, are the bases of Scriptural disfellowship. Hence the necessity for the observance of the Lord's rule. (Matt. 18:15.) While we are not to close our eyes to wrong in a brother, love will refuse to keep picking to find fault where none is openly apparent. And if fault is apparently discovered it is not to be "discussed among the brethren," but as the Lord directs should be taken direct to the offender by the discoverer and not so much as mentioned to others unless offender refuse to hear;--refuses to correct the fault. Oh, how much trouble would be saved, how many mistakes and heart-aches avoided if this rule were strictly followed!

22. How should the Church exercise brotherly kindness toward those who ‘walk disorderly’?

23. How should the elders exercise brotherly love in reproving the ‘unruly’?

24. How may we avoid judging one another as individuals ?

25. How should brotherly kindness be exercised toward brethren who have doctrinal ‘hobbies’?

26. What is the relation between brotherly kindness and ‘the unity of the faith’?

27. How should brotherly kindness deal with serious offenders in the Church?

28. By what rules are ‘false brethren’ to be judged?

29. What should be our attitude toward ‘siftings’ among the brethren?

30. What should be the attitude of all ‘true sacrificers’ toward each other and toward those who have left ‘the Holy’?

31. How does brotherly kindness apply ‘the Golden Rule’?

32. How should brotherly love exercise itself toward the special servants of the Church?

33. How should we exercise brotherly love toward our brethren still ‘in Babylon’?

34. How should brotherly kindness consider ‘social obligations’?

35. What course will brotherly love dictate in the matter of ‘borrowing and lending’?

36. How should brotherly love regard visiting, ‘borrowing a neighbor’s time ‘?

37. What is the relation between brotherly love and communism?

38. Do those who have reached ‘the mark’ still have trials along the line of brotherly love?

39. Why is brotherly love ‘one of the final and most searching tests ‘ of the brethren and how may we prepare to meet it?

40. What should be ‘the main- spring back of brotherly kindness’?

41. What does the illustration of ‘the third- quarter mark’ signify?

42. Why is it important that we manifest brotherly love now ?

43. How may we become members of ‘the Mary class’?

44. How did Jesus show us a grand example of brotherly love and sympathy?

1 Thes. 4:9-10 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;

R2196 [col. 1 ¶5, 6]: Although the Church at Thessalonica was composed of those who in respect to length of Christian experience were but "babes in Christ," yet very evidently the persecution which had come upon them had caused them to grow very rapidly. It was but a year since they had received the gospel, and yet the Apostle witnesses to their rapid development, as evidenced by their love one for the other; and not only love for the company at Thessalonica, but the breadth of their love extending to and manifesting an interest in all of the household of faith throughout the Province of Macedonia. The Apostle declares that this love of the brethren was a manifestation of the fact that they had been "taught of God." This reminds us of the statement of another apostle, "He that loveth not his brother, whom he hath seen, how can he love God, whom he hath not seen."

One of the first effects of a knowledge of the grace of God in Christ, and of a full, thorough consecration to the Lord, is this love for all fellow-servants--"brethren." Would that the fervency and zeal of first love, both toward the Lord and toward the entire household of faith, might not only continue, but increase with all. But alas! many who start warmly and earnestly grow lukewarm-- become captious, cynical, hypercritical, highminded and self-assertive--and lose much of the simplicity, zeal and humility of their first faith and first love. This is the first attack of the great adversary through the weaknesses of the flesh, to re-ensnare those who have escaped his chains of darkness, and gotten to see some of the glory of God shining through Christ. If they do not resist these temptations, the effect is sure to be not only lukewarmness toward the Lord and his cause and the members of his body, but eventually the cultivation of the fruits of darkness, envy, malice, hatred, strife, instead of the fruits of the spirit of Christ, meekness, gentleness, patience, brotherly love and kindness. Hence, the Apostle urges the Church, "We beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more," in love and service one for the other, which imply a growth in all the graces of the Spirit.

47. How may we cultivate brotherly love?

48. What additional thoughts are found in Topical Index of ‘Heavenly Manna, ‘ under ‘LoveOne Another‘?